Swap, Don’t Shop: Clothing Carousel Club

Sruti Allani and Hannah Ko

Clothing Carousel vice president and sophomore Ethan Nguyen logs the clothing exchanges in the club’s very first event.

To satisfy its customers, the fashion industry mass-produces millions of articles of clothing just for them to go out of style, adding to excess waste and pollution. Club co-presidents and sophomores Christopher Ko and Heather Lee noticed this ever-growing problem at the end of their freshman year and introduced the Clothing Carousel.

The Clothing Carousel is a club that combats the problem of excess fast fashion waste by allowing students to bring in and exchange clothes, according to Ko. Students can connect with others to find clothes within their community that might fit their style, preventing them from disposing of clothing that could potentially end up in landfills.

“With a lot of us teenagers, we do wear a lot of fast fashion, and we may have a lot of clothing and different styles,” club public relations member and junior Phoenix Ha said. “So I think being able to host different events where we can exchange clothing is beneficial. Other students may find clothing that they may like, and it’s right in their community. So it’s pretty convenient, and it’s nice that we can do this all together.”

The club aims to donate at least 100 pairs of clothing attire to underprivileged communities in the next year, according to Christopher Ko. The Clothing Carousel displays the impact students can have in their community and introduces a plethora of methods in which they can achieve their goals regarding social issues and environmental challenges, according to Ko.

“So this is our first year as a club, so this year, our goals are to really get this going, get a lot of people to join and care about it, get them to care about the environment,” Ko said. “And also, we want to spread awareness about this issue, and we also want to just have fun while doing it, just make it really encouraging for people to actually take an active role in helping out their community.”

The club is still in its beginning stages but aims to have a significant impact on helping the environment. The creative minds that manage the club are capable of moving this important issue forward, according to club adviser and math teacher Diana Vedder.

“They’re wonderful people that put this idea together and put this club together, and I’m super excited to be the adviser this year because I think it’s such an important initiative,” Vedder said.

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About the Contributors

Sruti Allani, Staff Writer

Sruti Allani is a staff writer for her first year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she is excited to work with her fellow Pilot members to create compelling stories. When she’s not playing Fashion Makeover, you can find her struggling with her math homework, eating oranges or rearranging her room for the twentieth time.

Hannah Ko, Opinion Editor

Hannah Ko is the Opinion Editor for her third and final year on the Portola Pilot. This year, she is excited to create meaningful opinion stories especially important to the Portola High community with the new Editorial Board. When she’s not hurrying to get interviews, she can be found on a run, at track practice, going to beaches or listening to Daniel Caesar (and the rest of her immaculate playlists).